Juneau Community Garden to host 20th Annual Harvest Fair

Posted: August 22, 2012 - 11:03pm

Celebrating its 20th year of gardening in the rain forest, the Juneau Community Garden will roll out its annual Harvest Fair on Saturday, Aug. 25, with public events running from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Activities include a farmers’ market with fresh vegetables and herbs, lunch sales of hot dogs and chili, a community-wide exhibit of vegetables and flowers, a kids’ treasure hunt in piles of straw, tours of the garden, a photo contest, live music from Gerry Fiscus and friends, and a game of chicken poop bingo organized by Darcie Neff and Jon Kamler.

All Juneau gardeners are invited to participate in the competitive exhibition of vegetables and fruits, both fresh and preserved. Entries can be submitted between 9:30 and 10:30 am on Saturday. The judged exhibits open for public viewing at noon. The judges will also pick their favorite plots, which can be seen on either guided or self-guided tours. Prizes for the best entries in the exhibit will be awarded at 1 p.m.

The public is also invited to submit images of gardens, flowers and vegetables in the photo contest located in the pump house. Photos must be matted and be 5” x 7” or larger.

Registration for garden plots for the 2013 season will also open at the Harvest Fair. Current garden members have first choice to renew their rentals, but there are always some plots available to the public and more become available in the spring. Plots measuring 10’ by 20’ rent for $35 a year and require five hours work at the garden.

The Juneau Community Garden, a nonprofit corporation, was formed in 1993 with the assistance of the Southeast Alaska Master Gardeners. The garden promotes local food production and sustainable gardening practices in a cooperative atmosphere. The garden has a well with a pump and hose system, an electric fence to discourage deer and porcupine, an outhouse rented for the summer, and piles of sand, brewery spent grain, horse manure and woodchips for building good soil. A special tool shed with kid-sized tools encourages young gardeners. The Harvest Fair is the garden’s main fundraiser and helps pay for various improvements at the garden.

The event is free. The garden is located on 5669 Montana Creek Road. Guests can park in the garden meadow or along Montana Creek Road.